Online shoppers look for delivery alternatives

Online shoppers all around the world are looking for alternate delivery options – and demand is especially high in Asia, where 45 per cent of respondents to a UPS survey said they would prefer to have their online order delivered to locations other than their home.

The second UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper Global Study, conducted by comScore, reveals emerging trends from the e-commerce markets in Asia, Brazil, Europe, Mexico and the US.

When not at home to sign for a package, 33 per cent said they want their items shipped to a local retail location authorise to hold the package for pickup at their convenience. Asian shoppers are avid technology users and the least patient with 27 per cent expecting same-day delivery and 48 per cent expecting next-day shipping to be offered by retailers, the highest of any market.

In Brazil, more than half (56 per cent) of consumers’ purchases are made online, the highest of any market, and 64 per cent said they are influenced by reviews or posts on social media to help decide which products to purchase.

However, they experience barriers to shopping on a mobile device: 39 per cent said they can’t get a clear or large product image, 31 per cent said they cannot easily view product information, and 34 per cent said it is hard to compare products. Over a third (38 per cent) of online shoppers in Brazil are willing to wait 11 days or more for their international orders to qualify for free shipping.

European online shoppers make the fewest purchases on a smartphone (19 per cent) compared to the other four markets and less than half (40 per cent) use retailer mobile apps. They make more in-store purchases (54 per cent) than they do online, and while shopping in a store, 61 per cent prefer to check out with an associate. In response to delivery questions, 52 per cent said they prefer seeing the expected arrival date rather than the number of days it will take for the item to arrive.

Mexican online shoppers make the highest percentage of in-store purchases, and cite fraud-related delivery issues as a primary concern. However, they do use mobile technology – 43 per cent reported using their smartphones to research products before visiting a store. And to receive items the same day, 60 per cent said they want the ability to purchase items in a store window. Only 35 per cent have returned an online purchase, the least of any market.

American online shoppers make more purchases on tablets than any other market. Free shipping continues to drive purchasing decisions as 58 per cent of online shoppers reported adding items to their shopping cart to qualify for the incentive. Further, 83 per cent are willing to wait an additional 2 days for delivery if shipping is free, and 68 per cent said free returns shipping is needed to complete a sale. Only 44 per cent of online shoppers said they were satisfied with the flexibility of changing delivery days or rerouting packages.

“Consumers demand more from their package delivery experience, and today’s online shopper expects us to respond by creating solutions that are convenient for them,” said Alan Gershenhorn, UPS executive vice president and chief commercial officer. ”